In our last post, we considered our priestly duties of bringing spiritual sacrifices before the Father. The Father can only accept our sacrifices of praise, generosity, and good works because Christ has offered Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice that atones for our sin. However, Christ’s sacrifice not only makes our sacrifices acceptable, it is the fount from which our sacrifices arise. As Scripture affirms, any praise we render is in response to the love of God poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Any generosity comes from Christ’s generosity toward us (2 Corinthians 8:9). Any good works we are able to offer were prepared by God in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). Whatever sacrifices we present to God were given to us by God. We can only give as we have received. We can only offer God what He first provides.
In Romans 12:1, Paul pleads with us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. The basis of this appeal is the abundant and gracious acts of God’s mercy that we have received. We were once dead in trespasses and sins, but God has made us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-7). We were once in bondage to sin, but God has set us free in Christ (Romans 6:6-7). We were once estranged from God and alone in the world, but God chose us in Christ and adopted us as His children (Ephesians 1:3-5, 2:12-13). We owe Him everything. How should we respond to a love so great, a grace so rich, and a salvation so free? The only reasonable response to God’s abundant mercies is to present our body as a living sacrifice to God. Paul uses the word “body” comprehensively for the entire self. In other words, we are to present our whole being to Him. God not only wants our minds, or our time, or our money. He wants all of us. The Apostle is urging us to hold nothing back. We are to lay everything on the altar for that is where we belong. This is what it means to present ourselves as a living sacrifice.
We can only offer God what He first provides.
The term “living sacrifice” is an oxymoron. A sacrifice that has been offered is dead. How are we to understand this designation? What is a living sacrifice? Galatians 2:20 provides some insight. Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” This is the practical effect of being united with Christ in His death and raised with Him that we might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4-5). Since we have been united with Christ in His death and life, we must consider ourselves dead to sin and, in Christ, alive to God (Romans 6:11).
Our union with Christ in His death and life is what gives us the power to mortify the sinful deeds of the flesh (Rom 8:13). This is what Scripture is referring to when we are told to put off the old man and put on the new man. We are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice when we pursue godliness and holiness through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice when we commit ourselves to working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Of course, both the will and the ability to do so is rests with the power that raised Christ from the dead, the power that is now at work within us (Ephesians 1:18-23; Philippians 2:12-13). A living sacrifice is one that is dead to sin and alive to God; a life committed to pleasing God by seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.
We are offering ourselves as a living sacrifice when we pursue godliness and holiness through the power of the Holy Spirit
Paul refers to this as our “reasonable service” or our “pure worship.” Presenting ourselves to God as a living sacrifice is true worship. How can we present ourselves as a living sacrifice? By what means is this accomplished? Paul explains this is Romans 12:2, ff. This will be the focus of our next post.
You can watch Pastor Stan’s sermon series on the book of Philippians here: https://lwcchurch.org/Philippians.php
